OpenAI's next hardware is a doughnut-shaped smart speaker with moving parts that wants to be your new phone

OpenAI's first consumer hardware turned out to be a $230 programmable keypad called the Codex Micro, a niche product built specifically for developers using its Codex coding agent. If that felt like an unexpected first move into hardware, the company's next reported device is a much bigger swing.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, OpenAI is developing a doughnut-shaped smart speaker priced between $300 and $400, with a 2027 launch target and ambitions to replace the smartphone as your primary AI interface.

The hardware is being designed in partnership with LoveFrom, the studio founded by Jony Ive, the former Apple designer. The device will be built from high-quality metal with a premium finish, and will include lights, a camera system, and sensors. The detail that stands out most is the moving parts. These components will physically move when the speaker is responding to the user, with the stated goal of making the device feel more alive than conventional stationary speakers.

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On the software side, it is ChatGPT in a box. The speaker will work similarly to ChatGPT's voice mode on mobile but with more advanced models tuned for humanlike interactivity, becoming more personalised and proactive over time. Smart home control is also part of the package. OpenAI is framing it less as a smart speaker and more as a smartphone replacement.

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That being said, Amazon's most expensive Alexa speaker with a display tops out at $300, and that gets you a 15.6-inch screen. OpenAI could be asking more than that for a screenless doughnut. At the same time, the company is also dealing with a legal cloud hanging over it. Apple sued OpenAI in July, alleging that it stole trade secrets and encouraged manufacturers to copy Apple's metal-finishing techniques.